Apparatus for casting metal ingots



' Aug. 6, 1929. A. w. CARROLL 1,723,601

I APPARATUS FOR CASTING METAL INGOTS 7 Filed Jan. 25, 1928 2 sneaks-sheet 1 uyl h INVENTOR it v dlmwm- 60-60mm Aug. 6, i929. A. w. CARROLL APPARATUS FOR CASTING METAL INGOTS Filed Jan. 23, 1928 D 2 Sheets-Shee INVENTOR 4 44/14! (0.6%

m6 1mm Patented Aug. 6 1929.

ALEXANDER W. CARROLL, F ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY.

AP PARATUS FOR CASTING METAL INGOTS.

Application filed January 23, 1928. Serial No. 248,587.

My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for casting metal which find practical application in the casting of ingots of copper. The object in view 18 to produce from the contents of a refining furnace and by means which are economical, a lot of ingots which in shape and quality are best suited to ensuing operations of rolling, drawing, and the like.

10 The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Fig. I is a view in plan of a set of ingot molds upon a sprue plate, and F igs. II and III are views in vertical section, upon the planes indicated respectively by the lines II-II, and III-III, Fig.

I. In further illustration of the invention, Figs. IV and V are views in transverse and longitudinal vertical sections, of a mold upon its sprue plate, for casting the walls of the ingot molds of Figs. I and II. Figs. VI and VIIare views in side elevation and in plan of a structure of mold walls susceptible to use upon the sprue plate of Figs. I-III, alternatively with the mold walls shown in the last named figures.

In the casting of copper from the refining furnace in shapes suitable for subsequent processes of attenuation, it is usual either'to pour a flat cake, as it is termed, that is to say an ingot cast on its side in an open, shallow mold, or to employ a d ep mold standing on edge. The flat cake possesses the. undesired but inevitable characteristic of a set side; that is to say, the upper surface of the ingot or cake within the mold, exposed to the air, has cooled and solidified more rapidly than other portions, and in consequence the article between its two sides lacks uniformity of internal structure. The deep mold alluded to above, being an integra' structure eiosed on all sides but one, must be formed with tapering opposite side walls; for, otherwise, the solidified ingot may not easily be separated from it. And aningot with tapering opposite sides, because of that very characteristic, presents difficulties -in rolling.

In the casting of steel ingots, bottom pouring is usual, and the advantages of. bottom pouring are well recognized. Chief among them are avoidance of the splashing incident to top pouring; the better and more complete escape of gases, because the infiowin'g metal enters the mold in the direction in which the tide of metal rises in the mold cavity, rather than in opposite direction; less oxidation,

because less exposure of hot metal to the air. Pouring from copper furnaces, however, differs from pouring from steel furnaces, in that the charge of a copper furnace is poured gradually, and frequently as much as three or four hours are required to complete the pouring, whereas the whole charge of a steel furnace when ready is poured at once. I

The apparatus employed in the casting of steel ingots includes a circular cast-iron sprue-plate in the upper surface of. which shallow radial slotsare formed. In these slot sections of fire-brick are laid, each section being essentially cylindrical in form and shaped at its ends for male and female joint with its companion sections. Each radiating series of fire-brick sections constitutes a continuous channel for the flow of liquid steel. The section at the outer end of the series is ported on its upper side, to allow the stream of molten metal to enter the mold cavity above. In the middle of the sprue-plate a hollow brick is placed. It has a central inlet orifice through which molten steel enters,

and per ipheral outlet orifices through which steel escapes to the radial runners. To the central intake orifice of the hollow central brick a vertical passageway leads. This vertical issageway-is formed of a succession of cylindrical in brick sections united end to end by male and female joints, contained within a casing of metal. This casing is split longitudinally and united by bolts when the bricks have been set up in place within it. In the casting of steel ingots it is necessary to provide new brick work for each lot of ingots cast. The expenditure of time, labor and material incident to the removal of the brick Y work for each pouring is very considerable. In the pouring of steel ingots the stream of molten metal curries fragments of brick and of the clay along with it into the mold cavity, and within the cavity such materials are generally found, floating at the top of the body of steel which hardens to an ingot.

The known apparatus for the casting of steel ingots by bottom pouring may not be employed for casting copper ingots; for, as has been explained, in the casting of copper ingots, emptying'of the furnace is protracted through a considerable period of time, and

. if the attempt were made, the solidifying of Y the metal in the ,sprue ways as operation progressed would no prevent successful carrying through to the end. My invention lies in apparatus in theme of which the difiiculty is overcome and the charge of a copper furnace may gradually be poured by the bottom-pouring method into a succession of ingot molds.

Another advantage follows. The ingot mold for bottom pouring consists of an open ended structure with columnar interior cavity which stands upon and is removable from its stool or base-plate. Such a' mold may be stripped from the ingot, even though the opposite surfaces be parallel. The ingot,

therefore, may be formed without taper and better suited to the rolling operation.

Referring to Figs. I, II, and III of the drawings, 1 is the sprue-plate, and 2 are the open-ended columnar structures to which in more limited sense, the term mold is applied. F our molds 2 are here shown standing on a single sprue-plate. It will be understood that the particular number is of no importance, so far as concerns the essence of the invention, and may be such as the operator of the copper furnace shall find convenient or desirable. The sprue-plate constitutes the common stool or base-plate of the set of molds. The sprue-plate is compound and consists of a slotted body, to which the numeral 1 is in the drawings immediately applied, and an inset but removable section 3 which, for convenience in further description, will be .called the runner or the runner block. The bod 1 of the sprue-plate is adapted to receive this runner block and to carry it securely in accurate lacement, with the upper surface of the blocli extending in substantial continuity with its own upper surface. To such end the slot in body 1 which advantageously extends through the body 1, to expose and to afford access from below to the intro.- duced block, is bridged beneath by ribs 11. These'ribs, affording support for the runner block, strengthen the slotted body 1. The slot in the body 1 is of such length and is so disposed as to underlie all of the molds of the group, in the manner clearly shown in Fig. I..

The runner block'is the part which contains the sprue passages, and includes, in addition to the horizontally extending portion adapted to be received within the slot in body 1 and to which the numeral 3 is particularly applied, the vertically extending '-portion. 31 also. This vertically extending portion 31 may conveniently be cast in one piece with the portion 3. It terminates above in the funnel-shaped mouth 32.

The runner block in its entirety, including the vertically extending portion 31, is symmetrical with respect to the vertical and longitudinal mid-plane. It is formed of two parts which meet in such mid-plane, and the sprue passages are formed, as best seen in Fig. III, half in each of the parts. Through the vertically extending portion 31 a passage extends vertically from the mouth 32 downward and into the horizontally extending portion 3 of the runner block. These opposite horizontally leading passages extend beneath the line of molds, and these passages, branching, open to the mold cavities.

The sprue-plate, the runner block, and the molds may be formed of any suitable material or of different suitable materials. Ordinarily they will be iron or copper castings.

v In assembly the two halves of the runner block are brought to register and bolted t ogether, and the block then is set in position in the sprue-plate. It will be noted that the runner block is conveniently shouldered at 33 to afford accuracy of position and security. It will be understood that the parts will be so proportioned as to allow for relative expansion under varying heat conditions, and that the runner block when in place may be further Molten copper from the furnace is pouredthrough the mouth 32 of the runner block, and pouring continues until the metal flowing through the passageways rises and fills all of the molds 2. When the ingots within the molds have solidified, the molds are lifted away, and when they have cooled and when after cooling they have been dippedin bone ash, they are read for use again. The ingots then are lifte by tongs from the sprueplate, and in lifting they are broken free from the necks of copper which have solidified in the passages in the runner block. The ingots, manifestly, are in proper condition for further mill operations.

When the ingots have been removed the runner block is raised out of the slot in the sprue-plate, the uniting bolts are loosened, and the two halves of the block are separated. The necks of copper which have solidified within the passages then fall away, leaving the halves of the runner. block free. These when washed'are ready to be united again and assembled again with the sprue-plate for a repetition of the pouring. operation.

One or more such pieces of apparatus may reviewed. Steel has to be east through fire-- brick passageways, and the fire-brick passageways require support in cast-iron bodies. The passageways themselves, however, are essen tially firerick in material. These are susceptible to use for one pouring and no more.- After one pouring the have to be discarded andnew passageways ave to be built in the sustaining bodies. In the casting apparatus which we have described and its operation, the passageways are formed in cast metal and the cast metal passageways are capable of and are susceptible to use repeatedly. My invention lies in a structure and in a method of employing it, by virtue of which such repeated use is made possible. z

I have said of themolds that they may be copper castings. In Figs. IV and V I show apparatus essentially such as I have described adapted for casting, not ingots, but such columnar structures as the mold walls 20f Figs. I and II. In thiscase the sprue-plate 1 and the runner blocks 3 are modified only in ar-.- rangem-ent, to afford streams of cop )er at suitable points to the mold cavities. n essential features of structure there is no change. The mold in this instance is a two-part structure and includes inner and outer walls. The inner wall is formed of a castdron perforated shell 4 bolted to the sprue-plate and faced with refractory material 41. This block so formed which forms the inner wall of the mold cavity is of uniform cross-sectional dimensions throughout all of its height, to the. end that the article formed in the mold cavity-shall have an inner columnar cavity of uniform sizethroughout. The outer wall 5 of the mold cavity may be formed of solid cast iron. The pouring of the casting in this mold, and the preparation of the apparatus for repeated use, will from what has gone before be understood.

Instead of the one-piece molds 2 ofFigs. I and II, I may employ molds of other structure. For example, I may employ molds such as that illustrated in Figs. VI and VII.

' These molds are made up of four pieces, 61, 61,

62, 62, assembled as these figures show them and secured by bolts 63. The two pairs of mold-pieces 61, 61 and 62, 62 are each of them symmetrical in shape with respect to the medial and longitudinal plane, and their opposite surfaces are properly prepared, as by being planed to the end that each piece is reversible in its position in the assembly, to bring at will either side to position to constitute part of the inner wall.

I claim as my invention:

1. Casting apparatus for molten metal including a sfirue-plate and a mold, the said sprue-plate ein recessed and carrying in its recess a runner lock said runner block being formed of a plurality of parts meeting in surface-to-surface contact, each part being grooved in its surface of contact and the grooves of the assembled parts constituting together a passageway for molten metal.

2. The structure of claim 1, the runner block underlying when the parts are assembled, the mold, and the passageway within the runner block opening within the mold-cavity.

3. Casting apparatus for molten metal including a sprue-plate slotted throughout its' thickness and being provided wit bridge members which underlie and extend across the slot, spaced apart one from another, a runner block including horizontal and verticalportions, the horizontal portion being adapted to enter the slot in the sprue-plate and to rest upon said bridge members, said runner block being compound and formed of two parts separable on amid plane together with means for securing the parts in assembled position, each of said parts being provided in the'surface of meeting with a groove which when the parts are assembled cooperates with its fellows to form a passage extending longitudinally within the runner block,

the vertical portion of the runner block being rovided with a funnel shaped mouth opening to such passage, and the passage at its farther end opening through the upper surface of the horizontal portion of the runner block,

and a mold resting on the sprue-plate into which the said passage at its farther end opens. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ALEXANDER W. CARROLL. 

